Amazing 25th Birthday!

Well, I've finally reached middle age! TOTALLY JOKING!

Peter had a cold for a few days and I woke up with a sore throat and decided to cancel my 6am client. I know that when you think you might start to get sick, sleep is the # 1 most important thing.

After a wonderful sleep in, I started to feel a lot better. Regardless, of how I felt, Pete and I had plans and headed up to Squamish for a day of adventuring. We started off by circumnavigating the chief. He took me to this world famous crack climb called the Cobra Crack 5.14, one of the hardest crack climbs in the world. Only 3 people have successfully completed this climb. Later on that evening Peter showed me footage of the first ascent on one of his climbing dvd's. It took the guy about 40 attempts to get it. We ended up turning left onto this random trail, which lead us across this awesome ridge and onto the squaw climbers trail which took us back to the Mamquam forest service road and back to the parking lot.

After that we headed back to North Van to have lunch. I've been dying to take Peter to the Galaria as they are known for their sandwiches. I used to go back in high school and I probably went there every Friday for over a year. It's been a long time since I last ate there and last 6 times I have taken Pete there it's been closed. Considering it was already 2:45pm, I thought for sure they would be sold out of sandwiches. BUT low and behold the sandwich gods were on our side and Peter and I got to taste a little bit of heaven.

We headed back home, grabbed the soccer ball and walked over to Kilmer Park to kick the ball around. I hadn't touched a soccer ball in a long time. Kids were just getting off school and the field was just packed with kids playing soccer, frisbee, catch, or just goofing around. Around 5:30pm coaches and kids swarmed the feild in preparation for their 6pm baseball games. They fit 4 games onto this one soccer field (2 T-ball and 2 farm ball). We were watching some teams warm-up and it was so fun to watch the skills and talents of the young players. On the flip side, the kids were just learning the importance of keeping their body's in front of the ball and proper throwing/catching techniques. There were 2 girls on this one team and it brought back a lot of memories. I played hardball with the boys until I was 12 yrs old. There were only about 2-3 girls in the entire league. I am sure playing with boys made me a better athlete and baseball player.

After a quick run I headed over to my aunt Julie's. She is lending me her car for my driving test. Yes, I will admit it, I still have my "N" driver's license. I haven't had a vehicle in over a year and the motivation to get my regular license was not there. But, I really didn't want to be 25 yrs and still have the restrictions of my "N". Plus, I think Peter is getting sick of driving for soooo many hours on all of our road trips because of this. My test is in 3 hours. I am a little nervous because I haven't driven in so long. Wish me luck!

For dinner that night we headed over to the Cannery for some of the best seafood in town. Peter's sister gave us a Gift certificate for Christmas and we have been saving it for a special occasion. We started off with a shot of tequila. Not the typical way we would start off an evening but it had been a stressful couple of day and we went for it. He offered us the "high end tequila" and Peter, being the tequila connoisseur that he is, accepted. I later found out it was $18/shot!! But to be honest, it was the best tequila I have ever had, no lime or salt needed. I took 10 minutes to drink it, sipping it slowly, and really enjoying the flavors. Ok, enough about tequila. I recommend the muscles to start, they'll blow your mind. So will the bread they give you before hand with lobster infused olive oil and balsamic to dip. If all that didn't make your mouth water, perhaps my next course will. It consisted of cooked scallops, prawns, and lobster tail, served with seasonal veggies. Sooo incredibly succulent. It was the best experience. They went above and beyond, from the free chocolate mouse desert, the big purple balloon on my chair (yes, I kept it!), all the way to the printed menu saying "Happy 25th Birthday Nicola" typed onto it.

All in all, it was the best way to spend a birthday. Sleep in, adventure, active relaxation (soccer), and good good eats! Sounds like what I do everyday, minus the sleep in. Alright, I better go practice my driving skills, enjoy the day!